Princes, Fates & Soul Mates
by maybemeg
Summary: Modern Prince AU! In order to save his Kingdom, Eren agrees to marry the most powerful King in the entire world; a mysterious man who he has never even met before. However when many conflicts arise, Eren thinks it might be possible for him to fall in love with the King after all. Rated M for future themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: **

**Greetings to everybody taking the time out of their lives to read this story! This story was inspired by a Manga called 'Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii' or as it is translated in English 'The World is Still Beautiful', but obviously added my own plot elements, It's set in a modernized alternate universe so just go along with the story and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, There is also probably an ample amount of grammatical errors I have missed, so please excuse them! **

**Now on with the story! **

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><p>People are like dice, a certain Frenchman said that. You throw yourself in the direction of your own choosing. People are free because they can do that. Everyone's circumstances are different, but no matter how small the choice, at the very least, you can throw yourself. It's not chance or fate. It's the choice you made.<p>

~ Rock – Black Lagoon.

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><p>Eren sunk into the soft, fluffy pillows on his window seat and watched the rain pour heavily upon grounds in the Kingdom of Shiganshina, listening as they made a loud splat against the glass window in his bedroom.<p>

It had been raining all week and a lot of the citizens were concerned that the consistency of it might flood their crops, however most of the week prior to today had only been light showers. This was a relief considering the kingdom wasn't wealthy enough at this point to compensate for damaged farmlands.

Eren traced his fingers over the bold letters on the cover of the book he had placed in his lap that read Treasure Island – he loved this book, it was one of his all time favorites, he envied to protagonist, who was able to break away and venture into the unknown.

To be free; to see the ocean and run along the sand or through the bush, even just to lay around on a warm summer's day...to forget about all worries and responsibilities, it sounded perfect, way too perfect.

And that is how Eren knew it would never be his reality.

Life each day felt like that movie Groundhog Day, as if Eren was stuck in this time loop of doing the exact same thing every single day, with the same dissatisfying outcome and sprinkled with the only difference being that everyone is still aging on top.

Time was moving way too quickly, Will things ever change?

A soft knock on his door broke him out of his aimless thoughts; turning his head he saw his sister, Mikasa leaning her arm against the wooden door with an apprehensive look plastered over her face "Dad wants to talk with us" she informed him, her voice sounding just as apprehensive and irritated.

Eren let out exhausted sigh, it was probably regarding the recession that Shiganshina had been in for a few years now, ever since the economy dropped, jobs had been cut back for citizens, houses were almost impossibly hard to pay off, luxuries were becoming more and more limited, even the palace could no longer afford to hire as many maids or gardeners or even guards unlike most of the other kingdoms.

Was there a single fictional novel with a Kingdom that sounded more pathetic than that?

However even through Shiganshina's recession, no citizen had been left homeless or starving, the townsfolk are very community based and the country is well known for their astounding agriculture and green landscape. Nature was lively as far as the eye could see.

Mikasa ran her fingers through her silky black hair as she glared at her bother and said assertively "stop wasting time and hurry up"

Eren reluctantly got up from the window seat and shuffled over to the door, wasting time? Yeah he probably was, but wasn't that something everyone did? Even just once in a while?

What was that quote from Fight Club? It's your life and it's ending one minute at a time.

Well, nothing is eternal anyway.

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><p>The duo walked through the corridor in silence, all that could be heard was the shuffling of their feet mixed in with the pouring rain falling upon the windows, Eren was the first to break the silence "must be urgent if he wants to see both of us"<p>

Mikasa nodded before replying "I saw car pull up out the front earlier today, must be big business with another Kingdom"

"Still doesn't explain what he wants with us" Eren muttered, It had been a long week, couldn't they just enjoy the one day they had off in leisure?

Apparently not.

They knocked on the big wooden doors of their father's room and a muffled "come in" from the other side gave them the permission they needed to walk inside. Their father was sitting at his desk typing away on his computer.

Glancing around the room, Eren noted that aside of ridiculous amount of reference books shoved on top of his desk; the room was spotless.

They stood awkwardly inside the room as Mikasa asked "you wanted to see us father?" Grisha looked up from his computer at them and nodded "take a seat"

Once settled on the sofa that was placed in the middle of the room they turned their attention back to their father, who had gone back to typing on his computer.

"Are you going to tell us what's going on or what?" Eren snapped irritably, crossing his arms over his chest, Mikasa short him a warning glare.

Grisha looked up from his computer and glared at Eren "watch your tone, I have over two hundred emails just from today that need to be dealt with, if you'd like to handle it yourself then by all means" he gestured towards his computer.

"Well, you'd think if you called us over to talk then you would actually you know – talk" Eren snapped back, Eren had no patience for his father considering the fact that his father acted like they didn't even exist half the time and he wouldn't be surprised if the man sometimes forgot he had children altogether.

Grisha sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, it was then that Eren noticed how looked completely run down his father looked, He begun "I have received a engrossing proposition from the Kingdom of Mitras"

Mitras was the most distinguished Kingdom in the entire world; being so affluent and prodigious that all the other neighbouring Kingdoms across the world showed Mitras nothing but deference.

In other words, with a military and economy that powerful, for any other Kingdom to attempt anything audacious like declaring war or borrowing money would be the same as signing a death warrant.

"A proposition?" Mikasa asked, shifting in her seat and crossing her legs.

"It was from the King himself, Rivaille Ackerman, his ambassador has travelled all this way and presented me when an offer I don't think any of us can refuse" Grisha continued, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose

Eren pursed his lips at that name; Rivaille Ackerman, though he had never met or interacted with the man he knew that his name was greatly feared across the world, he took over the Kingdom of Mitras when his father passed away seven years ago.

He had seen him in a few interviews on TV and the even though he didn't appear to the public often, Eren had noticed that the kings eyes always appeared dull and bleak in a way that made him look...bored? No, that didn't sound like the right word; it was as if he was completely world-weary, as if everything surrounding him was a burden that he had no interest in being a part of it and was just there because he had to be.

"And what was the proposition?" Mikasa asked, Eren was now feeling just as apprehensive as her.

"He promised to provide us with enough money to repair our entire economy, everything will go back to the way it was before the recession, all our people will have jobs, enough money to provide for their families, luxury items and we will be able to finally hire servants again and make up for these past few years of being nothing but a joke to all the neighbouring Kingdoms!" Grisha exclaimed, the grin on his face was almost sinister.

It made Eren's blood boil whenever he heard his father talk about the other countries, because he knew that his father cared about the pride of Shiganshina more than the people.

Pride is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.

"But in exchange for this generous offer, the King has asked for me to send one of you over to Mitras to marry him" Grisha continued, his face was now unreadable "and I agreed to those conditions"

"What?!" Mikasa and Eren shouted in union.

You know that face the Wile-E Coyote from Looney Tunes makes when he's about the fall off a cliff, but stops in mid air, turning towards the audience, eyes wide and jaw dropped? That pretty much indicates what both their faces looked like at this moment.

"You're joking right?!" Eren exclaimed, hands griping the cushion on his lap.

"Why would I joke about something like this?"

"How can you even think to agree to something like that?!" Eren yelled, slamming his hands on the coffee table in front of him and stood up, the anger was beginning to shoot through his veins.

Grisha let out a frustrated groan "Eren, think about how this will benefit Shiganshina-"

"Oh please you don't care about our people you only care about what all the other Kingdoms think about us!" Eren cut him off "we are your damn kids you can't just fucking sell us off!"

"Eren! Do you realize how selfish you are being? We have a chance to save our Kingdom, are you really going to turn it down because of your ridiculous integrity?!" Grisha began to raise his voice, and Mikasa knew where this is heading.

She grabbed Eren's arm "Eren calm down, this is for our country"

Eren whipped his head to face his sister, eye wide with horror "are you seriously agreeing to this shit? To let him marry you off to a fucking-"

"No!" Mikasa cried, her grip on his arm tightening "I don't agree with any of this, but if this can get us out of the rut Shiganshina is in and help our people then I will do it!"

Eren's face fell, she was right; he was only thinking about himself and his resentment towards his father. He didn't even look at the bigger picture; money is the only thing is this world that is able to rebuild their economy. That was the undisputed truth.

He could feel Mikasa shaking under his arm, she was scared – of course she was scared, She just agreed to be sold off to the most powerful and prominent man in the entire world!

"Before you go pointing the finger why don't you take a look at your own selfish outbursts" Grisha advised the young prince, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

Eren looked at the ground and grit his teeth together, he was furious and ready to snap back, but as contentious and insensitive as his father's comment was he knew deep down, in the grand scheme of things, it was in the best interest of their Kingdom.

But there was no way he was letting Mikasa be sold like a freaking sex slave, which when you really look at it, it might as well be, so that left him with only one other option.

The option he knew he would regret the least.

"I'll do it then" the words managed to leave his lips without trembling "I'll go to Mitras, I'll marry this King"

Grisha opened his mouth to say something but Eren cut him off "The King said he didn't care which one of us right? He has no personal preference? Then send me"

Mikasa gasped as she looked at Eren, her eyes wide and teary "N-no! Eren you can't-"

Eren cut her off and yelled "I won't let you be forced into this shit Mikasa! You deserve more, someone to love you for who you are, I don't know what this, let's face it - King of the world wants with us but I won't let him buy you! You're worth so much more than that! You won't be involved in this fucking sex trade!"

"Neither should you!" Mikasa screamed back, tears were now streaming down her face, Eren averted his eyes from the princess's own, because it was too painful to see her cry like this "You're worth so much more than this as well, I-I can't let-"

"Is that really the way you should be talking about the man who is willing to save your country?" A voice called out from the big wooden doors entrance, and all six eyes stopped to see who the owner of that voice was.

A sophisticated looking woman with glasses was leaning against the door with a shit eating grin plastered on her face, Grisha shot up from his chair, and his discomposure was evident "Miss Hanji! How was your walk? I apologize profusely that you had to hear such disrespectful remarks from my own children!"

The woman get out a high pitched laugh and walked further into the room "It's nothing I haven't heard before, you'd be amazed the stuff people spout when they think no one is listening in" she said, the almost sinister smile still upon her face as she turned towards Eren and Mikasa "but you know kiddos, the King really isn't that bad of a person, you may be confused of his motives at this current point in time, which is only natural, but I do promise that all will be revealed in the near future, just trust in me"

Before anyone could say anything the woman continued "Oh, I'm Hanji Zoe by the way! King Rivaille's ambassador, it really is a pleasure to meet both of you!" she clasped both her hands over Eren's and Mikasa's, squeezing them tightly while Eren stared at the woman, puzzled and rather uncomfortable with how close she was in his personal space "and to answer your question Eren, Indeed you are correct, the king has no personal preference, and I personally believe a fiery young man like you would do him a world of good!"

"Then I believe it is settled" Grisha clapped his hands together delightedly and smiled over at the ambassador "Shall I have Eren pack now?"

Everything said after that flew right passed Eren, He thinks he heard Mikasa's protests but they were all completely disregarded, he felt numb and insensible, because his fate had just been decided for him.

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><p>Eren didn't remember how he got to his room, but he found himself shoving clothes into his suitcase, mostly essentials; underwear, shirts, jeans... what else? He knew he might never return to Shiganshina and he didn't even know what to bring with him, maybe a few books? Eren would bet his buttons that Mitras would have a library that was probably the size of Shiganshina palace, in fact, everything Eren would think to take with him he knew the richest man in the world would already own, but who's to say Eren would have access to any of it?<p>

"Eren!" Mikasa cried out as she ran into his room and shut the door behind her "please don't go, let me-"

"Just stop already!" Eren cried out, slamming his only half full suitcase closed, the King would probably only hate his casual choice in clothes anyway, he turned to face his sister, looking her dead in the eye "Listen to me, and listen good, It's done, I'm going, It's what best for our country and I know you'll do a better job than me when it's time to succeeded dad, you've always been more level headed than me"

"I don't want you to go!" the princess wept "what if he's cruel to you? I'll never forgive him or dad if-"

Eren hugged his sister as tight as he could, it pained him to see her like this pained him more than anything; with their fathers neglect and his mother's death, they really only ever had each other, there was always so much to do that neither of them had time to build close relations with anyone else, but now he was leaving for good, he was going to marry someone he didn't even know, someone who is referred to as the notorious, cold hearted ruler of the world.

"I'll manage, I know I will" Eren tried to assure her, probably as much as he was trying to assure himself, he rubbed her back as he continued "We will see each other again, I promise okay?"

He felt her nod, and as they pulled away from the hug Eren forced the best smile he could manage "and I'll be sure to send you some designer cupcakes"

The private jet was amazing, from the high teach fluorescent lights to the thick cream leather sofas, the butler who Eren had named Sebastian for cliché purposes had put out an entire table of ritzy food and beverages for Eren to indulge in, but the young prince couldn't peel his eyes away from the window. The sky view was absolutely beautiful, they were flying alongside the clouds, he wanted to reach out and touch them, but the glass stopped any hope of that ever happening.

That's when Eren realized what was ironic in this situation, he always desired freedom, to fly above the clouds and answer to no one and the very thing that enabled him to do so was taking him to the life that had already been planned out for him, a life with probably limited, if any, volition.

"There's still a few hours to go before we get to Mitras so get comfortable, stuff your face with lobster, drink to your heart's content, watch a sitcom or some high quality porn, whatever will keep you busy" Hanji said, taking a sip of her champagne and taking a seat next to Eren.

The Prince turned to face the ambassador and asked "why does the King want to marry royalty from Shiganshina? Is it his idea of yearly charity or something?"

Hanji let out a high pitched laugh, slapping his knee as she replied "No, It's nothing like that Eren, You'll find out what's going on in good time, well, probably anyway"

"Is there any useful information about Mitras you can fill me in on before we arrive? Like any advice or tips or even... warnings?" Eren asked, fidgeting in his lap, he was so antsy that he just couldn't sit still. He glazed at the fruit platter placed on the table in front of him; ice was placed at the bottom of the platter to keep the fruit chilled.

"hmmm" Hanji leaned back in her chair and thought for a moment "to be honest I want to see how this all plays out, so I'm going to keep that to myself for now"

Eren might as well have been going into battle completely naked.

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><p>The moment that Eren hopped off the private jet he was hit with a wave of heat, it was around four in the afternoon and the sun was shining right into Eren's eyes, he threw a hand over his face to shield himself from its boiling hot rays.<p>

"This is why I told you to put those shades on!" Hanji called out to him, throwing the young prince a pair on sunglasses "Welcome to Mitras, first thoughts?"

"It's boiling!" Eren answered plainly, putting on the shades she had given him, looking around he assumed they had landed on a private airport; people were scattered around the place grabbing luggage and such from the jet. Hanji exchanged a few words with the pilot before pushing Eren along to car that was waiting to take them to the palace.

The whole ride Hanji spent jabbering away, which didn't surprise Eren considering that's all she was doing the entire flight to Mitras, the only problem he had was that none of the information she had been sprouting would benefit or prepare him for whatever was waiting for him beyond the drive.

He gazed out the window and maybe it was just the area they were travelling in, but compared to back home the lands of Mitras were extremely dry, all the grass in the passing fields were completely shrivelled and just looking at the heatwaves outside of the air conditioned car made Eren want to faint.

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><p>Hanji jumped out of the car and stretched her legs, Eren followed after her "and here you have it, welcome to your new home Eren!"<p>

Calling the palace huge would be the understatement of the century, just the front gates and garden surrounding the palace were monumental, rose hedges with every colour you could possibly think of surrounded the premise and the most beautiful vintage water fountain Eren had ever see was placed right in the centre of the front grounds. It was completely different to the scenery he had just seen on the way here.

They walked towards the doors of the palace; Hanji placed her hand over one of the door knobs and looked over at Eren "ready kiddo?"

When he nodded, she opened one of the doors and held it open for him, Eren inhaled deeply; this is it, this will be his new home for the rest of his life.

The front of the palace did nothing to prepare Eren was how magnificent it was on the inside; their footsteps seemed to echo off the marble floors and large walls that were proficiently polished and cleaned. It truly was amazing.

Eren now understood why his father was so angered that Shiganshina was considered as such an inferior Kingdom, because compared to where he was standing right now, under the glorious chandelier and refreshing air conditioning, it undisputedly was.

"Wait here for a second honey" Hanji instructed, disappearing into one of the doors on the left hand side, leaving Eren standing awkwardly in the middle of the gigantic room.

Eren let out the deep breath he forgot he was holding in, he gazed around the room trying to familiarizing himself with his surroundings, because if he was going to be living here he had to begin somewhere.

"Hey kid" A sharp voice called out to him from the large staircase, Eren whipped his head too see two men, which he presumed to be palace guards staring at him suspiciously "state your name and reason of your presence in the palace of Mitras"

Eren blinked at their inhospitable words, thinking of the best way to reply without causing any unnecessary problems "uh, I'm Eren Jaeger, Prince of Shiganshina; I've been sent here to consult with King Rivaille-"

"How do you get inside without being accompanied?" One of them interrogated, they both walked down to stairs and over towards where Eren was standing,

"Hanji brought me here, she was left for a second, I don't know where she went but-"

Once again, Eren was cut off "I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to leave the premise" One of the men grabbed Eren by the upper arm and dragged him towards the front door

Eren flung his arm out of the man's grip and took a few steps back, becoming angry by the shabby treatment he was receiving, "Don't touch me!" He had not done anything that should result in him getting thrown out, what was their damage?!

"Sir you have no evidence to back up your reason for being here, we will use force if you make this anymore difficult than it has to be" the guard warned Eren, attempting to grab hold of him again, But Eren was quick on his feet, He pushed the guards arms away and attempted to throw a punch, but the other guard caught Eren's wrist and pulled both his hands behind his back to restrain him, Eren struggled to break free but it was pointless, the guard was clearly stronger than him.

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Eren yelled, continuing his pointless struggle to break out of the guards hold on him "You think I'm an introducer?! The freaking gates and fences are electrical for god's sake! How could I have gotten inside without any help?!"

"Stop being difficult and just do as your told!" the guard who had not restrained him yelled back, walking towards to front doors

"Someone care to tell me what the hell is going on in here?" all movement from the three came to a halt as they looked over to the direction the voice was coming from.

A short man with raven hair narrowed his piecing grey eyes at them, his arms crossing over his chest indicated he was not impressed with the scene in front of him, and Eren knew straight away he was the King. Eren's body stopped moving, as if he was frozen in place, He had no idea how to react to this situation.

Leave it to Eren to give the best first impression.

"Your Highness!" the guards gasped in union, Eren could feel them tensing up at his presence "We found this young man standing around suspiciously and when we went to escort him out he resisted"

"Hanji brought him here" The King informed them while Hanji who was standing next to him nodded in confirmation to the guards before he continued "So you can let him go now, but I acknowledge the caution you both took, it's always reassuring to know my staff isn't useless"

The guard let Eren out of his grasp and they both excused themselves, leaving Eren once again standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Only this time he could feel a pair of grey eyes on him like a spotlight.

If looks could kill, Eren would be dead three times over by now.

The King turned to Hanji "Take him to his room and get him washed up"

Eren looked down at himself, he will admit he was a bit scruffy looking and during the plane ride Hangi had accidently split her champagne on his shirt. This was a disaster; this was their first encounter and he was just standing there, incapacitated. Seconds ago Eren was fighting two guards and standing his ground, now his brain wasn't allowing him to utter a single word; it was like a witch was playing a sick joke and cursed him with immobilization.

The king must have noticed Eren's extreme unease because he pursed his lips together for a slipt second before speaking "I'll see you down for dinner later, I believe there is a lot that we need to discuss, try to use your head and act like a human being and not an animal until then alright?" and with that, he turned around and walked out of the room.

This was the turning point for Eren; the entire life he had lived up until now and the entire reality he had always known was threatening the vanish right in front of him, he could blame it on fate or destiny or anything else he had a difficult time believing in but he knew nothing was going to prepare him for the path he had chosen.

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><p><strong>Another AN: <strong>

**If you guys could review to tell me what you thought that would seriously make my day!**

**Did you like it? Hate it? Please let me know! **

**Thank you so much for reading! **

**Till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN OR IT'S CHARACTERS!**

**Now on with chapter two!**

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><p>Take the elevator to the third floor, walk down the corridor on the left hand side, turn right and five doors down Eren would find his new bedroom, of course Hanji escorted him, only someone familiar with the palace would be able to find the damn room.<p>

"And here you have it!" Hanji chirped as she opened the door and waved her arms around the room "your very own private sanctuary!"

Naturally, his room back in Shiganshina was microscopic in comparison to the majestic one that now was right in front of his eyes, while is bed and wardrobe back home defiantly weren't small, his room in Mitras was of course much more superior as well as refined.

Eren's eyes scanned around the room, from the king sized bed to the big plasma screen television planted on the wall, completed with a coffee table and black sofa to the window seat overlooking the backyard. This made Eren smile, the view might be different but the familiarity of a window seat was comforting.

"Impressive isn't it?" Hanji grinned at the prince "but don't get too comfortable, I'm assuming once you have settled in Levi will place you in his room, since you're engaged and all"

Eren couldn't help but notice that was the first time she had referred to the King as Levi, since he had met her, Eren had heard the King went by that name with people he was familiar with, so he was guessing to some degree, even if it was only on a professional level, That Hanji and the King were close.

"Thank you for the advice" Eren said, tracing his hand over the soft fabric of the window seat "got anymore that you're willing to give?" Eren hoped now that she saw how his first encounter transpired with the King, she would be willing to guide him with something even remotely helpful.

"You're a persistent one aren't ya?" she laughed, walking over to the sofa "may I?"

"Of course" Eren nodded, walking over to join her, he turned to face the woman, attention completely focused on whatever she was about to tell him.

Hanji bit her lip, and Eren could tell she was trying not to laugh, she took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eyes before speaking "whatever you do Eren, do not chew with your mouth open"

Eren blinked, her words slowly sinking into his brain "what?"

Suddenly the woman bursted into a booming fit of laughter, slapping her hand on his thigh "I'm not even kidding okay? Don't do it, I've never seen Levi as huge on anything as he is cleanliness and personal hygiene"

Suddenly the ambassador stood up "which reminds me, bathroom is just through that door" she pointed to one of the doors on the right "scrub up well, the walk in wardrobe is the door next to the bathroom, choose whatever you'd like, I'll come get you in an hour for dinner, kay?"

"Wait!" Eren cried, standing up from the sofa "is that seriously all you're going to say?"

Hanji nodded and walked over towards the big wooden doors "Eren, You're going to marry the man, you have your entire life to crack the Levi Ackerman case wide open, just be patient"

Once the door was shut Eren let out a groan so loud it could have been mistaking for a dying animal, he really was hoping for something more substantial than him being a clean freak.

Well, you know what they say about hope; breeds eternal misery.

Eren made his way into the bathroom almost slipping on the proficiently polished marble tiles, the bathroom was impeccable of course, but he couldn't find himself marveling over it because all he could think about was dinner with the King.

Thinking about what went down only about half an hour ago with the King, Eren wanted to bang his head against the wall until he forgot about it. It was so shameful, freezing up like that in front of the man, he must have looked like the an absolute idiot. Why did he freeze up? He wasn't sure himself, maybe he was scared he would say something that would result into havoc.

Not like it would be the first time it's happened.

Somewhere between stripping off his clothes and turning on the shower he came to the realization, it hit him like a tonne of bricks right in the face, he now understood his overwhelming need to compensate for what happened this afternoon.

If the King thought of him as an irrational, hot-headed child who lived to disobey the rules then he would be class as an incompetent partner, considering he was already from a lower class Kingdom did not help his case at all. He had to do whatever he could to make up for his insufficiency because if he didn't...

He would be tossed aside like a child's warn out rag doll and depending on the King's motives; he might choose to take Mikasa in place of Eren.

Over his dead body would Eren let that happen, even though he had always thought of himself as a disappointment to his Kingdom and family, he had to do everything he could to save his Kingdom and the people. As long as he respected the Kings wishes and the Kingdom of Mitras, which surely wasn't _that_ hard to do, he should be fine, after all, he had not been sent back yet.

And that was all the pep talking Eren needed to fuel his determination.

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><p>"knock knock!" Hanji sung, walking into Eren's room an hour later as promised, her face dropped at the sight of the prince "Eren, I told you that there's a whole wardrobe behind you filled with clothes right?"<p>

Eren looked down at the clothes he was wearing; a grey dress shirt and a pair of black jeans he had brought with him from Shiganshina as he answered "you didn't say it would be a formal dinner so I thought it would be okay to wear my own clothes"

"But this is technically your first date!" Hanji exclaimed "haven't you watched any of those romantic comedy with the get-to-know-you dinners or the whole 'dress to impress' maxim?"

Eren shrugged, he had seen a few but like he ever had time to watch those cheesy unrealistic flicks "will he care if I wear my own stuff?"

Hanji mirrored his shrug in reply "I've never seen him date before, well for real anyway, so we're about to find out" she answered clearly for muttering "I knew I should have been worried when I heard you turned down the assistance from the maids I had sent up to help you"

"Because actually am capable of dressing myself!" He protested, knowing that he was perfectly healthy and didn't need random people doting on him, he wasn't handicapped and honestly, he hadn't been used to the help in so long.

"Right" Hanji gave an enigmatic smile as she patted him on the shoulder, pushing him over towards the door "now let us go, Cinderella! I'll be sure to bring you back at midnight before the pumpkin falls apart!"

Eren laughed in response, and for a split second, some of his nerves had disappeared.

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><p>Of course it didn't last long, every step Eren took down the corridor he felt the anxiety rise in his chest, he could not blow this.<p>

"Jesus, you're as stiff as a tree" Hanji commented, patting Eren on the shoulder as they stepped into the elevator "relax, he won't bite your head off... he's rich, he'll get someone else to do that for him"

Eren rolled his eyes at her terrible joke, he so desperately to retreat to that soft fluffy bed that was waiting back in his room.

Finally they reached a door, the door that was the only thing separating himself from the King, once again Eren forgot how to breathe, Hanji looked over at him with a eerie grin, hand on the doorknob "here we go!"

The room was a lot smaller than Eren had anticipated but never the less beautiful, decorated with expensive paintings displayed on the wall, expensive liquor concealed inside a glass cabinet, crystal glasses placed on the rows of the cabinet's shelf; but what really caught Eren's attention was right in the middle of the room.

A large, bright pendant light shone above a fairly average sized mahogany dining table, sitting at the said table was a now all too familiar looking raven haired man, swirling the wine glass placed inside his hand.

"Fear not, for your hubby has arrived!" Hanji exclaimed as she strolled into the room Eren followed slowly behind her, no knowing what else to do.

The king looked up from his wine glass, scrolling at the woman as he spoke "If you ever call him that again I will not hesitate to sack you"

Hanji scoffed, waving her hand as she dismissed the remark "Good luck finding someone who gets even half the amount of shit done in record time like I do"

"At least they won't make stupid comments and annoy the shit out of me like you do" He quipped back, his neutral facial expression did not falter.

Eren watched the two silently, as confused as he was entertained, were they actually having an argument or was this just how they normally interacted with one another? Suddenly Hanji slapped Eren lightly on the back breaking him out of that thought "anyway, here is your date and entertainment for the evening, and before you saying anything, he sent the maids away claiming independence so the outfit is his own"

Eren gave the best smile he could muster while the King nodded, gesturing the chair with a plate and cutlery placed in front of it "take a seat"

As Eren sat down at the table awkwardly, Hanji shouted out "Mazel tov!" before making her way out the room, leaving the two alone.

The king clicked his tongue as he shook his head "she's so fucking wack"

Eren let out a small laugh, looking over at the King prior to his response "maybe, but you are the one who hired her"

For a split second Eren feared his choice in words were unseemly, he felt as if he was walking on eggshells because he didn't know the King on a personal level, so anything said could be taken the wrong way. However the older man just looked back at him, aside from his neutral facial expression Eren had noticed something was different in his eyes, amusement maybe? "Touché"

Eren felt a smile creep upon his lips as he looked over at the King, the air was staring to seem a little less tense. He cleared his throat "umm, sir..."

The king rolled his eyes "call me Levi, If we're going to be tied together for life you can drop the formalities" He insisted

Eren nodded "okay, Levi..." the words seemed to roll off his tongue so naturally, but hearing himself say it was so uncanny, and the feeling was extremely preternatural "I haven't had the chance to thank you properly in helping my Kingdom and it's people in Shiganshina"

"It was an exchange, there is no need for you to thank me" Levi replied firmly, Eren figured he probably got enough praise from his father when the proposal was first introduced, so he decided to drop the topic.

Although, Eren had decided the best way to crush someone's self esteem is to label them as an exchangeable Item, he already knew his of course but just hearing it from the man who, well, technically bought him was extremely off-putting.

A maid wheeled in their appetizers, when placing Eren's plate in front of him she offered a smile that he could only interpret as either encouraging or sympathetic. Nevertheless he smiled back at her as he thanked her.

The starters were small squared pizza slices, each one of them filled with different toppings, ranging from all meat to vegetarian to jalapeño and peppers. They were all so authentically decorated and Eren could not wait to get started; Pizza was one of his favourite foods after all.

At that moment, Eren had come to a realization; they were not in the main dining room; this was the King's private dining room.

"Hope you don't mind but I wasn't really in the mood for any fancy shit tonight so I decided we should go Italian style" Levi said, grabbing his knife and fork, cutting the squares into even smaller pieces, attesting to the immaculate disposition Hanji had described him to have.

"No way, I love Pizza" Eren assured him, mirroring Levi's actions as he picked up his own knife and fork, even though he had always ate pizza with his hands he was not daring enough to do it right now in front of Levi.

"Your palace is really beautiful" Eren spoke up again, trying to make small talk while shoving pizza into his mouth, which tasted just as amazing as it looked.

"I'd hope so, I pay enough people to clean it" Levi replied, putting his knife and fork down to take a sip of his wine.

"Well, that too, but I was actually talking about the design of the palace, I know it's really old but it's still so beautiful" Eren smiled brightly as he spoke "and I was in awe the moment I arrived here when I first saw the water fountain in the middle of the front yard"

Levi shrugged as he replied "that thing has been here long before I was even born, it's really not all that spectacular"

"Well, I still think it's really beautiful, plus since it's something you've had since you were a child, I think that makes it even more special" Eren said, a little embarrassed from his sentimental statement and deciding to look down at his plate instead of at the King, who said nothing in response.

The two ate in silence for a few minutes until thankfully; Levi decided to bring up a new topic, breaking the awkward atmosphere that was floating in the air.

"So tell me, Eren" hearing the man say his name sent shivers down Eren's spine; uncertain if it was because of the way it sounded as it left his lips, or because it was _him_ saying it "did you not like any of the clothes that were hanging in your new wardrobe?"

Eren swallowed before he answered "No, It wasn't like that at all, I didn't even look in the wardrobe I just decided to wear my own clothes..."

Levi nodded, taking another sip of his wine "fair enough, I just hope you don't plan wear jeans during the wedding ceremony"

Eren felt his eye twitch in annoyance as he huffed "well, we can't all afford twenty grand designer suits for each day of the week"

He could not believe he had just said that out loud.

He dared to look at the King, who's eyebrows were raised as he seemed to be partially entertained by the remark "Because selling mangos couldn't even pay for a maid in the end could it?"

Eren could feel the anger boiling up inside of him as he scoffed in response "money must make everything so convenient for you, am I right?"

He knew he should stop, he knew this was not going to end well and he had to stop before things got ugly. Unfortunately, Eren never did have much of a filter.

The King stared at him, incredulous "well shit, you're awfully mouthy considering earlier today you couldn't even say a word to me and just stood there awkwardly like a puppy getting scolded"

"I'm not a dog" Eren snapped, finishing the last of the pizza left on his plate.

"Well you sure were acting like an animal" Levi countered coldly "I figured by the age of twenty one you would know to manage your emotions, but obviously not"

Before Eren could begin his retort, the waitress walked into the room with their second dish, collecting both their finished plates and replacing them with their main dish which seemed to be chicken parmaigiana before topping their wine glasses even though Eren had not even had a sip of his own yet, then making her way back out of the room in record time.

He couldn't blame the girl; if he had the choice he wouldn't want to stick around either.

Silence; awkward, apprehensive silence is all that was laid out in front of Eren, he was walking through a land mine and he knew it, he was surprised the King hadn't kicked him out or even locked in up at this point, hell the man could have him killed in a heartbeat for speaking out of line.

"You need to become more vigilant" Levi warned, narrowing his eyes on Eren "it's obvious that you have anger management issues and in the future I won't hesitate to discipline you for it"

"Discipline me?!" Eren exclaimed, putting his fork down and shooting him questioning glare "what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means exactly what it is, If you want to continue to act like an animal, then fine, I'll treat you like an animal" Levi snapped in response, matching Eren's glare, his eyes were even more cold and distant than when he had first sat down at the table "I don't have the time or the patience for you behaving like a shitty brat"

Regardless of the anxiety Eren felt, he once again let his anger get the better of him "are you freaking kidding me?! You're the one who first made the insensitive comment about my country!"

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true" Levi snapped back, folding his arms over his chest

"Neither did I!" Eren shouted, shooting up out of his chair so quickly it almost fell to the ground, everything in the back of his mind that had been telling him to shut up and stop had been overpowered by his anger "I seriously can't get my head around your proposition for Shiganshina! Was it out of pity? Or were you just bored with sucking on your silver spoon and wanted a broke prince for entertainment?!"

Levi slammed his hand down on the table, prompting Eren to jump up in surprise at the sudden action, his face shifting from irritated to infuriated in record time as he raised his voice "Get the fuck out of my sight, you ignorant little shit!"

As if on cue, two guards, the very same ones from earlier walked in through the doors, no doubt because they had heard all the commotion coming from within them, Eren rolled his head over in their direction, shooting a warning glare; he was nowhere near done with this conversion.

"You know what?! Maybe I am acting like an animal! But at least animals only do what they have to do to in order to protect themselves and their family! You just idle away each day knowing you have the entire world in the palm of your hand but you have no idea what to do with it!" Eren screamed at the King, throwing his arms all over the place in an attempt to help signify his declaration "you don't have a single thing that is important to you, or that you want to protect do you?!"

Levi's eyes went wide in shock, he was completely taken back by Eren's words, but it didn't take him long to conform his facial expression back to display his wrath.

At this moment, Eren knew he had stepped on a gigantic, non negotiable landmine.

"You know what? Fine, I tried to warn you, but obviously that little brain of yours doesn't know how rare free advice is" Levi narrowed his eyes at the prince, anger flickering within them "you know what happens to animals? They get locked up"

The King looked over at the two guards "Lock him up for the night" he ordered, once they both uttered the words "yes my lord" he fixed his death glare back onto Eren "How fucking dare you disrespect me, I didn't think I'd have to teach an inferior little shit like you to know your place"

"You're locking me up?! Y-you can't do that!" Eren gasped, feeling a tight grip form on both arms.

"Of course I can" Levi snarled, picking up his wine glass while keeping his gaze fixed on Eren "The cells are dark and cold so that should defiantly cool you off, maybe we will try this again once you calm the fuck down and decide act like a human being"

Eren felt himself being pulled towards the door and even though he knew it was futile, he attempted to pull out of their grasp, resulting in being forcefully yanked out the door, the very last thing seen to him inside the dining room being the King taking a sip of his wine; the look of fury remained on his face.

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><p>He must have been joking when saying the cell was cold, because It was absolutely freezing, maybe even a couple of degrees bellow; completely inverted in comparison to how the weather was when Eren first stepped foot onto Mitras. He rubbed his hands together rapidly, convinced he was about five minutes away from getting frostbite.<p>

He also knew, just by looking at the thin sheets upon the rock hard bed that was placed in the corner of the cell he would freeze to death before morning came. He used all the anger and energy that he had left by running back over to the metal bars and began to shake them viciously, his grip on the metal was so tight the cold began radiating onto his hands, feeling as if a million needles were repeatedly stabbing into the palms of his hands.

It was pointless, all of it, he knew no one was going to come and help him, as if anyone was dumb enough to oppose the King of the world in any way, shape or form; excluding himself of course.

He had _one_ job, and he couldn't even do that, he could hear his father's words ringing in his ears, the words he had uttered to Eren the day he left Shiganshina.

'_You're going to marry the most powerful man in the world, It's all on you now to keep him satisfied, by __any__ means necessary' _

Eren shut his eyes tightly as he slid down to the ground, his hands never leaving metal bars as they slid down them along with his body.

'_This is the only way we will be able to rebuild our nation, don't you dare screw this up' _

It's so easy to be a disappointment when your whole life that's all you ever have been perceived as. But no matter what age you are, whether it be ten or twenty one, it never seems to hurt any less.

The ringing of his father's voice came to a halt as he heard footsteps coming towards him, when he looked up he managed to make out a guard through the extremely dim lighting, the man opened his cell door and threw something in his direction.

Straight away from the moment he felt the soft fabric he knew it was a blanket and wasted no time wrapping it around himself, the guard spoke in a gruff voice "His highness ordered me to deliver this to you; consider yourself blessed he's still thinking about your well being after the stunt you pulled today, it was absolutely obscene"

Eren said nothing in retort; what could he say? He knew he screwed up big time and he didn't need anyone telling him that.

The moment the guard had left Eren managed to pull himself up on his shaky legs and stumble over towards the bed, as he climbed on it, he instantly wondered if he would be more comfortable on the floor in comparison to the lumpy, stiff mattress.

But that was just a trivial thought he was trying to expand in his mind in order to block out what he was really thinking about.

The guard was right, his actions were obscene.

The King was right; he needed time to cool off.

As angry as Eren was that he was thrown into this cold, dark cell, he knew that this was lenient compared to what the King could have done to him, or to Shiganshina.

Eren shuddered at the thought, wrapping the blanket as tightly around his body as possible, hoping it might extract the heavy pain that was tightening in his chest.

Tears began to stream down his cheeks as he thought about what awaited him tomorrow with the King. Even though the man had made no threats towards Shiganshina it did not cease Eren's apprehension.

This was the first time Eren had cried in such a long time, he felt weak and stupid. It was such a stupid cycle; first anger then regret, why did he always do this to himself? Especially at a time like this where it was so critical for him to conduct himself.

He found it absolutely laughable to think that he was spending first night in the richest Kingdom in the world sleeping in a freezing, dark cell.

No one knew what tomorrow held, but what Eren did know was that he was not looking forward to it.

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><p><strong>Authors Note: <strong>

**Thank you all so much for your reviews! You all are super duper amazing! please continue to tell me what you think! **

**Also, I'm sorry that there isn't as much Eren/Levi interaction at the moment as I honestly hoped, I promise they will have more moments in the next chapter! **

**I'm not going to make Eren a pushover in this fic but when you watch their interactions in SNK it's obvious he is defiantly uncomfortable around Levi. I also want to make sure I don't write him out of character or in a way that makes you want to face palm every time you finish a chapter.  
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**Please review, I love hearing what you all have to say, it really** **encourages me when I'm writing! **

**Till next time! xx**


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